Festival
by TigerstripeCrayon
Summary: Tenten is upset at first when Neji canceled their plans to go to the festival together, but then finds it impossible to enjoy herself without him. She finds him, only to experience a night different from what she imagined, yet very much the same. Nejiten


Tenten was annoyed. She was annoyed because Neji -her supposed date for the party she was going to—suddenly cancelled on her because he had "better things to do than go to some stupid party". Well it was his loss! _He_ wasn't going to see her in her flowered purple silk kimono that had taken her three hours –Three hours! — to figure out how to and then put on; _he_ wasn't going to get dance with her underneath the paper lanterns that that they strung across the town square every year; _he_ wasn't going to be able to watch the fireworks with her in the clear damp night; _he_ wasn't going to be the one that pointed out a shooting star in the corner of the sky, and _he _wasn't going to be the one with one arm around her while they both made a wish, Tenten's being for her first kiss.

Damn that Hyuuga.

With a heavy sigh, Tenten picked up the heavy skirt of her kimono, suddenly changing direction and pushing a few people aside in the thick crowd that moved in one mass towards the festival who yelled rude words back at her.

Tenten knew exactly where her teammate would be, and grudgingly thought he better be grateful for the measures she went through to get there—she had to go through a mud puddle that ruined the new heels Ino had made her search for yesterday specially for the festival; she had to endure some old man hitting on her from where he lay wasted on a park bench and then follow her for a block before he passed out (Tenten kindly placed him back on the bench); she had to go through running into the Inuzuka boy in the graduating year below them and his dog sniffing her and then taking a bite out of and ripping a piece out of her brand new kimono; the kunai that was strapped to her thigh (Ino wouldn't allow her to take her weapons pack since it was "un-ladylike") ripped through her the top of her kimono; AND Tenten's intricate bun that she had spent an absurd amount of time putting strings of beads across, suddenly came loose and all the beads spilled on the floor and her hair looked like a rats nest (there was a reason she wore her hair in twin buns!).

So thus the weapons mistress had absolutely NO patience left when she arrived at her team's training ground, her teammate giving her appraising look with a raised brow that was the only sign of his surprise on his unemotional face.

"Don't even," Tenten growled and the prodigy closed his open mouth with a look of curiosity. "Do you _know_ what I've been through?" Tenten didn't pause long enough to give him the slightest chance to respond. "That's right, you don't! I've been through hell, because _you_, Neji Hyuuga, _cancelled_ on me and I was looking forwards to it so much that I knew I didn't even have a _chance_ at having fun at the damn festival so I had to come find you!"

Tenten panted as she tried to catch her breath from her long winded rant, her teammate just staring at her in the way only the emotional ice cube that was Neji Hyuuga could do.

Once Neji had determined it was safe enough to speak without being sliced to pieces, he tried to calm her down, "That's very thoughtful of you."

"Damn right it is!" She declared with a huff.

"You must've come a long way to get here."

"I did! And my kimono got ripped! TWICE!"

"That is a beautiful kimono."

"You'd better think it is! It took me three hours to figure out how to put on!"

"It does look beautiful."

"It'd- wait, what?"

The kunoichi was now blushing slightly, staring at her stoic teammate in surprise and a bit of a flustered expression.

"I said it looks beautiful. It was well worth the time."

"Oh, um... thank you?"

Tenten, unable to stay mad with her teammate after the unexpected compliment, drifted over and splayed next his perfect postured form.

Tenten watched two children with paper lanterns with the kanji's "heaven" and "earth" on them scamper through the forest that was in front of them, screeching with glee. Tenten thought they must have fake sources of illumination, for the way they were being swung around haphazardly would surely cause them to catch fire if they were lit up by candles, or at least the candle would go out. Tenten smiled softly at the scene, unaware of Neji's lingering eyes on her face.

The two shinobi remained in awkward silence for a moment after the children had left, before Tenten's trained ears picked up the muted sound of music floating across the training grounds, turned up so high it had drifted all the way from a nearby party.

"Care to spar?" Neji offered, and Tenten grinned in anticipation.

"You're on!" Tenten declared, jumping to her feet in a way only a kunoichi could without tripping and falling while wearing a kimono as extravagant and elegant as the one Tenten had on. Neji smiled in the only way he could –a smirk- at her childish antics.

Gracefully, Neji rose to his feet, causing Tenten to briefly pout in envy.

And then they were off—fighting as the music was their background, practically flying around the training yard as Tenten fled because of her horrible disadvantage in the form of lack of weapons and appropriate training garb.

Both were panting when it was over, and Neji couldn't help but smirk/smile over at her, with Tenten returned with a fun-filled grin.

And suddenly, the moment was interrupted when a brilliant flash of purple exploded across the sky with a loud pop, followed by more beautiful and extravagant colours and designs of fireworks, spilling across the sky.

Tenten straightened, solely focused on the artwork in the sky, her look of awe unmasked on her face. The Hyuuga watched her, slowly approaching her as his breath spilled visibly in the cool night air. He stood next to her as the fireworks continued with their pops and dramatic designs, but all he could watch was her face as she remained awed, her face washed over with the colours of the current fireworks.

Finally the fireworks died out, and Tenten looked over at Neji, completely overwhelmed by the breathtaking experience to even notice that he had moved. "Did you see that?" She breathed, wishing to share the experience with him.

His eyes didn't leave her face. "Yes..." He quietly replied.

A spark behind her caught his eye, and he pulled his vision away from her to see a person with a sparkler walking the same path through the trees as the children before, flashing golden as it sputtered down the stick to complete its cheap yet amusing trick.

"Make a wish." He told her, pointing out the light that was floating in the night, watching her turn and watch it.

Tenten smiled and closed her eyes, her face looking serene. His eyes settled on her lips. A few moments later, her brown eyes opened, staring him start in the face. He tried to comprehend the expression on her face without activating his Byakugan, but failed to see anything but her chocolate brown depths.

Tenten leaned forward first, her eyes became half-lidded, and suddenly Neji couldn't take it anymore, and he just smashed his lips to hers as almost all his manners from his prestigious clan was forgotten.

It was awkward as their lips meshed and slipped for a moment, but Neji was glad it was his first kiss.

It over moments later, and when they pulled away, Neji could see the sparkler reflected in her eyes for a moment before the light died when it reached the end of the stick.

Yes, her hair was a mess as the bun no longer had almost any of her locks of hair in its original form; strands of stringy looking hair framed her face that had partly been streaked by residue from the little makeup she wore being sweated away; and her kimono had been muddied up and ripped and her shoes completely ruined, but Neji Hyuuga had never seen a more beautiful woman.


End file.
